Berlin Township officials are raising the alarm after a man has been posing as a worker in the area looking to check water lines, only to have a team of suspects waiting and ready to enter and ransack homes.

Its an intricate plan that has officials asking to not let anyone into your home if you don't recognize them and to check on your elderly neighbors.

Its a real quiet neighborhood. Im surprised anything has happened in this neighborhood, but theres people out there that want take advantage of people. Its just terrible," resident David Orosz said.

Berlin Charter Township Supervisor Mary Jo Gedelian says a man in his 50s is knocking on doors claiming hes working on homes in the area and that he accidentally hit a water line, insisting they go to the basement to test the water.

A few weeks ago, one woman on Labo Road did not comply and the man left, but another 97-year-old woman on Swan Creed Road let the man in on Sunday.

After gaining entry, two other men entered and ransacked her home looking for valuables while she was distracted. Nothing of value was taken except a sense of safety for residents.

Its just upsetting generally because the elderly, they cant really defend themselves and a lot of times, theyre either alone or they dont see their family much, so its just a low blow. Its gross," resident Bianca Simunec-Grob said.

Officials posted a warning to the township offices reminding residents to call the water department directly if there are any issues or to call the Monroe County Sheriff's Office if they see something suspicious.

Residents now say they feel a sense of duty to check on the older members in their community, so this doesn't happen again.

My next door neighbor, she is certainly older and I care about her very much and respect her and I would hate for something like that to happen to her," resident Leland Weiss said.

Gedelian says the Berlin Township community is tight-knit and she personally knows the two targeted women. She adds that the women told her the suspects seemed to get away in a gray truck.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says they are investigating and that when and if additional information is developed regarding suspects, they will put out an update.

The iconic Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual long-distance sled dog race that brings in competitors from all around the world and this year, Royal Oaks very own Dane Baker is participating for the very first time.

Baker graduated from Royal Oak High School in 2018 and with time, found his love of dog mushing in what has now become his passion.

"Dog mushing is taking a group of dogs, whether it be two dogs or in my case, 16 dogs... and you're running on some snow," Baker said. "I just wanted to do something a little different before I went off to college and just kept getting good opportunities and stuck with it. We wound up in Alaska and call it home here now."

Baker now works at Alaska Husky Adventures, where he trains and races with Alaskan Huskies. He credits the company for helping him get the opportunity to race in the world-renowned race.

He had to qualify and has been hard at work training every single day racing and camping.

"We'll head out maybe 40 miles. We'll stop for maybe four hours on, feed the dogs a meal, put them on straw, let them sleep, let them take a little nap, give them a snack and then head out again and do another 40 miles in quick succession," he said. "I will be (racing) about a hundred miles in 24 hours. So, you have to get them used to doing multiple runs in quick succession."

The winning mushers typically finish the race in about nine days, while others finish in 11, 12 or 13 days. Baker is just hoping for a good, safe race his first go around and doesnt have too many expectations. The one thing he is hoping for is to make his hometown of Royal Oak proud.

"When I'm out there and I'm cold and I'm like man, this might not be fun right now, I think of all the support and all the people that are cheering me on back at home and it does mean the world to me," he said. "It does keep me going when I have a moment of doubt or something like that. I definitely don't want to let anyone down."

If you want to follow Baker on his nearly 1,000-mile journey, his sled and all the participating sleds will have GPS trackers on them and you can see his trip in real-time on the Iditarod website come race day on March 2.

A Port Huron father of three was shot and killed in the early hours of Tuesday morning. His family says the act comes as a complete shock and Port Huron police are expected to update the public on this case Thursday.

Thirty-five-year-old Vincent "Vinny" Buckles was shot multiple times in what police are calling an isolated incident. Family says at the time of the attack, his oldest daughter was hiding.

Full story: 'Devastating': Family of Vinny Buckles speaks out after his murder in Port Huron 'Devastating': Family of Vinny Buckles speaks out after his murder in Port Huron

Broke in the house and they shot him. How devastating, 12-year-old girl had to... they said she hid in the closet," Buckles' aunt Karen Mitchell said.

Mitchell described her nephew as a dedicated father of three who was excited about recently getting custody of the daughter who had to hide for her life that night.

Hes just a family man, friendly, hardworking. Theres so many things I could say to describe him, but he is loving," she said. This is devastating to our family.

Port Huron police say just after midnight Tuesday, they responded to a vehicle on fire that they suspect was arson. Then about 20 minutes later just down the block, they were dispatched to Buckles' shooting on Vanness Street.

Police now told 7 News Detroit that they believe the two incidents are connected.

Watch our previous coverage about the two incidents in the video player below: Port Huron police investigating after homicide & car fire happen on same street

Buckles' cousin Rashan spoke to 7 News Detroit from Chicago about just how much his cousin meant to him.

"He was almost like a father figure to me," Rashan said. "For somebody to do that in front of his daughter is crazy."

Family from Chicago to metro Detroit feel like they have more questions than answers and their shock as to who could do something so cold and calculated keeps them up at night.

You can help the family with funeral and burial costs on their fundraiser page.

Meanwhile, police are continuing to investigate and ask anyone with information to call the Port Huron Police Department at 810-984-8415 or the Port Huron Police Department's Major Crimes Unit at 810-984-5383. Anonymous tips can be received by the CAPTURE Hotline 810-987-6688.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's federal funding freeze that was set to take effect at 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

With the legal battle ahead and a freeze that is looming, local residents and programs are expressing concern over the potential pause in funds.

I've always said that (veterans) should be taken care of, and the ball has been dropped. And now, its not being dropped, its being kicked," U.S. Army veteran Lawrence Gary said.

Related video: Impact of federal funding freeze on metro Detroiters Impact of federal funding freeze on metro Detroiters

Gary served his country proudly for years. He now works two jobs and to help ease his mind, he also focuses on his art.

He seeks out federally funded art programs designated for veterans. However, he says on Tuesday, he was much more worried about the critical federally funded services that provide health care and shelter to his former colleagues and friends.

Coming from a veterans perspective, theyre depending on these programs, theyre depending on some of those grans and loans. I dont mean they want this I mean they are depending on it," he said. Any little thing can trigger a veteran whose already got those things on her, his mind, so they dont need anything else added to their stress.

Those services and many more would have been frozen Tuesday for the new administration to review its spending, however a federal judge intervened, delaying the move until Monday.

Related video: White House says federal spending freeze is to align agencies with Trump's priorities White House says federal spending freeze is to align agencies with Pres. Trump's priorities

Education research would have been affected as well, like that conducted at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

In a joint email was sent out to MSU faculty and academic staff Friday afternoon from President Guskiewicz, Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko and Vice President for Research and Innovation Doug Gage, the message was that students and staff should continue their research projects, but "caution should be exercised in making new commitments or starting new experiments as the situation is evolving."

Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined 22 other states in suing to stop the implementation of withholding the trillions of dollars in funding saying in a statement in part:

While we are continuing to seek clarity on the totality of what is impacted, we know that if a full freeze goes into effect, Michigan families will suffer, children will go hungry, communities will lose safety protections, and schools will struggle."

State Budget Director Jen Flood also expressed concern in a statement Tuesday, saying:

"Federal funding is critical to protecting the health and safety of all Michigandersensuring drinking water is clean and food is safe, keeping people in their homes and the power on, and funding homeland security and emergency management. We are currently working across state government to examine how recent federal action to withhold funds appropriated by Congress will impact vital programs like food assistance, Medicaid and Head Start. Nearly $34 billion of Michigans budget is built on federal dollars which equates to 42% of our total FY25."

The administrative stay pauses the freeze until Monday.

After a school bus full of elementary children crashed due to icy road conditions in Washtenaw County Thursday afternoon, 6-year-old Toni Gardette had to be seen at an urgent care for a possible concussion.

She says the entire ordeal scared her and her friends.

The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. in Augusta Township on Talladay Road near Bunton Road. The bus was bringing students home from Lincoln Consolidated Schools.

About 12 kids and the bus driver suffered minor injuries, officials said.

Some kids were just crying scared to death. Took a pretty good slam and were just so grateful there are no major injuries," Augusta Township Fire Chief David Music said.

Toni attends Bishop Elementary School and was nearly home before the crash happened.

There was a big pile of ice and then (the bus driver) slid and it made me scared 'cause I hit my head on the window super hard," the first grader said. They were screaming and crying."

About 30 kids were on the bus.

According to Music, the school bus slid off the road and rolled into a ditch. The male bus driver suffered lower back injuries and had to be taken to the hospital.

He said 'its gonna be OK, everybody,'" Toni said about the bus driver after the crash.

7 News Detroit reporter Ruta Ulcinaite met the Gardette family outside of Van Buren Urgent Care just hours after the incident. Dad Anthony Gardette says he ran to pick up his daughter from the scene of the crash after he heard what happened and it was an emotional day.

"I literally just started crying. Everything went through my head. I couldnt I just wanted to get to my daughter," Anthony Gardette said.

The family says they're frustrated with how the situation was handled by the Lincoln Consolidated School District because they only learned of the crash from other parents, social media and the news.

I havent gotten a call. Nobody told me my child was in a bus accident, like we had to figure that out ourselves," mom Rilinda Gardette said. "I feel like it's a slap in my face and it's like how do I trust a school system with my child like that?"

In a statement, Lincoln Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert Jansen said:

"At approximately 4:15 pm this afternoon, we were notified of an accident involving Bus #31. After dropping off a student, the bus was accelerating and hit an ice patch, causing it to slide off the roadway into a ditch and roll onto its side. At the time of the accident, 30 students were on board. Thankfully, only minor injuries have been reported, and all students were promptly assessed by emergency personnel. We are cooperating fully with authorities as they investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be commenting further on personnel matters at this time. The safety of our students remains our top priority. We will be reviewing all transportation safety protocols to ensure the well-being of our students and staff moving forward. We want to extend our gratitude to the first responders who assisted at the scene and thank our community for their patience and understanding as we work through this situation. Additional updates will be provided as more information becomes available."

The Gardette family says their patience is running thin and their daughter will not be taking the school bus anymore. They say school should have been closed due to road conditions or the roads should have been treated in the rural areas. Music says that's tough to do in cold temperatures and on dirt roads.

In Augusta Township, we only have three or four paved roads. Everything is dirt and with the cold, the salt doesnt really work when it gets to a certain temperature," he said.

Meanwhile, Toni says she will try to remain strong despite the scare.

Im not gonna be scared and dont cry," she said.

The Michigan minimum wage is expected to increase for tipped workers starting Feb. 21.

Some are celebrating the bump while others including some restaurant owners are worried they won't be able to sustain the hike. That includes John Cowley & Sons Irish Pub in Farmington, which recently implemented a 20% service charge to prepare for the change.

Last summer, the Michigan Supreme Court reinstated a 2018 law that state Republicans at the time blocked to increase the tipped wage and amount of sick time leave for workers. With the Supreme Court's decision, the increase of $5.99 per hour for tipped workers is expected to go into effect next month.

This business model cannot support what theyre trying to do," John Cowley & Sons owner Greg Cowley said. It will put a lot of restaurants down.

Previous coverage: New year brings new minimum wage to Michigan, but some don't want the raise New year brings new minimum wage to Michigan, but some don't want the raise

To keep the restaurant open, Cowley says he had to make the decision of letting go staff or implementing some sort of service charge. He says laying off staff was not an option for him.

Ive got about 16 servers... I cant run the building without 16 servers. I need that kind of labor," he said. Pretty easy decision for me to basically say I'm leaving my menu prices where they are at and the margins that I expected, and I'm just taking the money out of the right pocket and putting it in the left where basically the surcharge is flipped over and is now in their salary.

Republican Rep. Bill Schuette is chair of the newly formed select committee Protecting Michigan Employees and Small Businesses. He says he is working around the clock to make sure that raise does not happen.

"Unless the Legislature acts, we're going to see an elimination of the tip credit, which is going to not only put additional costs on your family when you're going out to eat but also will rob restaurant workers of their hard-earned tipped wages, which is a key part of their income," Schuette said. "Our restaurant workers, the restaurant industry, they're facing a freight train that is bearing down on them come Feb. 21. And that's because of a ruling the Supreme Court has made."

However, advocacy groups like One Fair Wage disagree, saying that workers will now have a higher wage as well as their tips.

"The tips aren't going away on Feb. 22. This is about raising the base wage with tips on top, and every restaurant worker across Michigan will earn more money come Feb. 21," former state legislator and One Fair Wage senior adviser Dave Woodward said. "I think what the Republican-controlled statehouse is doing is absolutely shameful. They're doing the exact same thing that their predecessors did six years ago: scheming with the big corporate lobbies to deny workers in Michigan a wage increase and the ability to earn paid sick time."

Warren resident Hannah Gregory says despite the possible surcharges statewide, shell still tip.

"I have family that have worked in service industries and I just know how much their tips mean to them and to their families, so I just think you have to take care of your neighbors," she said.

Scheutte and other House Republicans have two bills that would reinstate the tip credit and address the sick time policy, hoping to get those on the House floor by Thursday.

Beginning in March, the Michigan Department of Transportation is doing a complete reconstruction of both the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-696 from Lahser Road all the way across Oakland County to I-75. The project is expected to take two years.

As the tentative March 1 start day approaches, the project is all that residents can talk about. Some are worried about the traffic.

MDOT said they will host a public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4 to discuss the upcoming construction project. The meeting will include community stakeholders, city representatives, local businesses, residents and MDOT reps.

It will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El at 14450 W. 10 Mile Road in Oak Park.

Thats not a good idea, not for two years," said Eboni Richardson, who drives that part of I-696 almost daily. Oh, thats going to be a mess."

Other residents say the potholes have gotten out of control and are excited about the changes.

I dont care if it take three, four years. Get it done," Soutfield resident Lois Jackson said.

Only months ago was the construction project of I-696 completed from I-275 to Lahser. Now, it's on to the next phase.

MDOT says I-696 is old and crumbling and temporary pothole fixes just won't do the trick anymore. Theyre investing $250 million to redo both the eastbound and westbound lanes, as well as improving 60 bridges, including the large bridge near 10 Mile and Greenfield roads where hanging icicles are a common problem.

I have no problem with it. They have to do what they have to do and our governor, she wanted to fix the damn roads and thats what theyre doing," Jackson added.

Both sides of the freeway will eventually be fixed. Westbound drivers will always be able to get through I-696 during construction regardless of which side of the freeway MDOT crews are working on.

However, when it comes to eastbound drivers, that is who is going to have to take a lengthy detour.

MDOT says they recognize some drivers may not follow the official detour and will take mile roads instead, and thats where some of the headaches and traffic will be.

"Drivers are just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it," Detroit resident Lee Scott said.

Approximately 100,000 drivers are expected to be affected by the construction every day for two years. MDOT understands the frustrations some drivers will have, but says the end result will be well worth it and that no more large construction projects will plague the area for over 20 years.

It was a marvelous speed bump in the move of Marvins Marvelous Mechanical Museum from Farmington Hills to West Bloomfield Township. The wacky wonderland ran into zoning issues after already signing the lease to their new location.

However, the West Bloomfield Township Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved two variances required for the business to still open as scheduled.

The owner of Marvins, Jeremy Yagoda, was prepared to fight for the two variances to be able to open on Orchard Lake Road at the Orchard Mall.

The old location, just a mile down the road at a strip mall in Farmington Hills, closed two weeks ago after city council there made the decision to tear it down and make room for a new Meijer.

We found an amazing place in West Bloomfield and we're gonna start the move and hopefully build it bigger and better," Yagoda said.

Previous coverage: 'We're going a lot bigger.' Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum finds new digs, moving to West Bloomfield 'We're going a lot bigger.' Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum finds new digs

Yagoda leased the new location not knowing it would be classified as an entertainment venue in the township, which came with some rules.

First, it needed to be 100 feet away from a residential plot line, and it sits 80 feet away. It also required a main entrance through the main mall doors, which would require a ramp from the inside due to a hill. The ramp would be an expenditure Yagoda and his team were not planning for.

"Were gonna be building some private party rooms and its a big, blank space, so we have to do the flooring, bunch of the walls need to be fixed, its a process," Yagoda said about the new space.

This was what Yagoda and his attorney were ready to contest on Tuesday, however, he was met with nothing but support from the board.

I'm very happy that your family business has found a new home in West Bloomfield," Zoning Board of Appeals Chair David Barash said at the meeting.

Support from the community about Yagoda's father, Marvin Yagoda, who opened the original location also poured in during the meeting.

He was just a dreamer and a lovely person, and I'm sorry I'm getting emotional, but I'm so glad the board supports this," West Bloomfield resident Wendy Case said.

Marvins Marvelous Mechanical Museum is looking at a tentative opening date for their new location sometime early summer.

A Berkley woman was in her home Sunday afternoon when she heard a loud crash. That crash turned out to be a Berkley police chase that ended with a suspect's vehicle hitting her home just feet from where she was laying.

No injuries were reported and the entire ordeal was caught on police dash camera.

Watch the police dashcam video below: Dashcam video shows car crash into Berkley home during police chase

Anita Kowal has lived in Berkley her entire life and on the corner of Hamilton and Eaton Road for over 25 years. On Sunday around 1:40 p.m., she was laying on her couch when she felt a crash.

Theres a crash, so I get up and I run outside and I see a police officer running down the street and a car in my house," Kowal said.

The Berkley Department of Public Safety says officers attempted to stop a white Dodge Journey near Edwards Avenue and Greenfield Road for operating without insurance and an outstanding warrant on the suspected driver. The driver refused to stop, fleeing from officers.

The pursuit moved south into Oak Park, then east on Lincoln Street toward Coolidge Highway and eventually through Huntington Woods before returning to Berkley.

The vehicle eventually lost control, going straight into Kowal's home. The driver then took off on foot but was apprehended moments later by police.

Detective Lt. Andrew Hadfield says in his over 20-year career, hes only seen two drivers go into a house, and this was one of them.

You know, Im sure it was a big surprise to her to hear that a car hit a house and not knowing whats going on. Im glad that she's OK, that everyone's OK and we'll work on getting that property restored," he said. "The biggest thing is were just glad everyones safe and hope that at least one other person takes another thought before running and just stops. Well have our conversations and well go about our way.

Kowal says in that moment, she saw her life flash before her eyes, and says she was just feet away from where the car hit.

Im trying to turn it around to be positive. I was 3 feet away. If not, Im pretty sure I wouldn't be here," she said.

Now the restoration process begins for Kowal, who lives alone and is left with significant damage in her living room and basement. And with this week's frigid temperatures, shes worried about her heating bill for the foreseeable future.

"Its cold right now. My feet, I can feel the draft coming up from underneath my couch," she said. Maybe Consumers (Energy) will give me a break, who knows.

Upon further investigation from Berkley police, the suspect was found to be in possession of cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms. The individual also showed signs of operating under the influence of narcotics.

The Berkley Department of Public Safety is seeking charges for:

Fleeing and eluding, a five-year felony Possession of cocaine, four-year felony Resisting and obstructing a police officer, a two-year felony) Possession of psilocybin mushrooms, a one-year misdemeanor. Operating under the influence of narcotics, a 93-day misdemeanor

Additionally, the suspect has multiple outstanding felony warrants from Michigan and Georgia related to drug trafficking and theft.

The suspect is a 31-year-old Southfield resident and police say no further information will be released about the suspect or investigation until after he is arraigned.